tonight points to tomorrow
by Shamelsshussy
Summary: Rachel is about to open in her first starring role on Broadway. A small gesture from Quinn turns into a big reveal.
1. Chapter 1

**Some Faberry occurred to me. I wrote it down. Background Dantana.**

**Basically, this is how I think things would go for Faberry if Quinn were involved in their NYC life. **

"Sorry to interrupt, but Rachel, we're going to head out."

Rachel looked up at the sound of Kurt's voice. The cast and some of their friends and family who had joined them at the invited dress rehearsal had gone out for drink after. Rachel was sitting at a table with some of her co-stars. Her male lead, Jeremy Brennan, was sitting particularly close.

Rachel craned to see around Jeremy's head. "Where's Quinn?'

Quinn had come up from New Haven for the weekend for the invited dress.

She had lately started to come so often that Dani and Santana had started trying to set her up with New York people. They had tried boyish girls and it hadn't really gone anywhere. They were thinking girlish boys next. Quinn kept telling them to just stop.

"She ran to the deli or something." Kurt said. "I'm sure she'll be back to say goodbye."

"Actually, we were just heading out too, "Jeremy leaned in to the conversation. "I was just telling Rachel about this lovely little wine bar that she needs to experience…"

Behind Kurt, Santana rolled her eyes at Dani. Rachel had been sleeping with Jeremy for a month and Santana had heard Jeremy talk a total of four times now. Every time he had said something about what he thought Rachel _needed_ to _experience._ Santana was starting to wish Jeremy could experience a Lima Heights foot up his pretentious ass.

Santana, Kurt and Dani said polite goodbyes to the table and headed to the coat check. They passed Quinn, on her way back in.

"Wait, did you just go get her flowers?" Santana asked.

Quinn was carrying a massive bouquet of roses from the deli. She had clearly had them put six or seven bunches together.

"Well, I'm heading back to New Haven tomorrow so…for opening." Quinn said.

"You're such a _good friend_, Quinn" Dani said, stifling a giggle.

Quinn flipped Dani a middle finger. "You know it's not like that."

"Just go give her your giant platonic bouquet, please, so we can get back to Brooklyn where the wine doesn't cost 12 dollars a glass?" Santana said.

* * *

Quinn found Rachel still at the table with the other cast members.

"Rachel…"

As soon as Quinn said Rachel's name, Rachel excused herself from her conversation and slid out of the booth.

"I know you have to go, " Rachel said. "But maybe we can meet for coffee before your train in the morning?"

Quinn shook her head. "I have to get back, finals next week and I have a ton to prepare…"

Rachel smiled at the thought of Quinn's blonde head bent over books, but then frowned, wondering who would get her coffee when she was tired, or who covered her up with a blanket if she fell asleep with her books on her bed.

"…Anyway," Quinn was saying. "I didn't know if I'd see you back at the loft later" Quinn's gaze skipped over to Jeremy for a moment. "So…I just wanted to give you these. "

Rachel reached out for the flowers Quinn was holding, with a gleeful smile on her face.

"Quinn, that's…"

Quinn shrugged off the rest of the sentence. "It's not even close to what you deserve. You were amazing tonight. In a few days everyone in this town is going to know what we all know already. You're a star."

Lots of people had been saying that to Rachel lately. But somehow it sounded different when it came from Quinn.

"I'd better go. They're waiting for me."Quinn said.

"Wait…"Rachel said.

Quinn turned around.

"I…um. Goodnight."Rachel said.

"Goodnight, Rachel."

Quinn leaned in and gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek. She nodded at the rest of the table, and was gone.

Rachel slid back into the booth. The conversation of her co-stars buzzed around her, but her gaze was focused on her flowers.

"Those are cute." Jeremy said, nodding at the bouquet.

Rachel looked up. "I think they're lovely," she corrected.

"Well, if you like flowers, I'll get you some much better roses for opening. Massive fuckers. I know a guy."

Rachel stared at Jeremy. Her mind flashed forward to walking the press line with him on opening night, his fingers digging into her arm as he turned her toward the light he looked best in.

She looked at the flowers again, thought of spending every opening night of her life wondering what Quinn was doing.

"I'm sorry, I have to go…"

"I thought we were going out." Jeremy said.

But Rachel was already gone, running for a cab.

* * *

Rachel burst into the loft, breathless, still clutching her bouquet.

At the bang of the door opening, Kurt half sat up from where he was lying on the couch, reading. "Oh, hi Rach, I thought you had a…" he started to say.

"Where's Quinn?" Rachel interrupted.

Kurt turned toward the kitchen table, where Quinn, Santana and Dani were slicing fruit to make sangria.

But Quinn was already up and closing the space between herself and Rachel.

"Rachel. Is everything ok?" Quinn asked as hurried toward Rachel.

Rachel crossed the room to meet her, eyes brimming with tears. "Everything is perfect."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Quinn's brow wrinkled in concern.

"Just perfect." Rachel repeated, gazing up at Quinn.

"What…" Quinn started. But she never got to the rest of her sentence.

Rachel had pulled Quinn in to kiss her full on the mouth.

Kurt's jaw dropped. Santana swore. Dani's eyes widened and she bit down on her knuckles to keep from laughing out loud.

Quinn on the other hand, recovered quickly. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and pulled her in close. Within seconds, they were completely entwined, Quinn's hands tangled in Rachel's hair, mouths flush against each other, kissing with wild abandon.

Santana, Kurt and Dani stared.

Quinn and Rachel kissed.

Santana, Kurt and Dani stared.

Quinn and Rachel kissed.

When Rachel started sliding her hands up the backs of Quinn's thighs, her fingers disappearing beneath the hem of Quinn's short pleated skirt, Dani gently shook Santana's shoulder.

"We should probably give them some privacy," she whispered.

"Huh?" Santana still stared, slack jawed.

"Going. Us. Now." Dani tugged on Santana's wrist and pulled her up to standing. "You too." She said to Kurt, skirting around the kissing couple and pulling him off the couch.

"My bag, " Kurt said. "My wallet…"

Quinn slid a thigh between Rachel's knees. Rachel moaned.

"Drinks are on me." Dani said, shoving the other two out of the loft door.

* * *

Kurt awoke around 11 the next morning with vague memories of closing down the bar. His head throbbed.

He did remember that Quinn and Rachel had been conspicuously absent when he, Dani and Santana came stumbling home from the bar at 4AM. Rachel's bra, shirt and skirt had been conspicuously present, strewn on the floor in a trail leading directly toward the curtains that enclosed Rachel's bedroom area.

When Kurt emerged from the shower 20 minutes later, he found Santana and Dani in thhe kitchen, starting coffee and downing Advil.

"Mmm, gimme." Kurt held his hand out and Dani tipped three liquigels into his hand. He swallowed them with a handful of water from the sink.

"Any sign of…" Kurt inclined his head toward Rachel's room, but it hurt to tilt it too much.

"Nope. But apparently there was some need for hydration last night. That entire giant bottle of Pelligrino I bought yesterday is gone."

Dani rubbed her girlfriend's back in soothing circles. "I'm sure Rachel will replace it."

"Please," Santana snorted. "She's gonna be so far up Quinn's tw…"

A rustling at the curtains of Rachel's room had all three of them turning toward the sound.

Quinn, wearing one of Rachel's tshirts and a pair of her yoga pants, emerged from the draperies. Her face was pale, her eyes bright, lips swollen. Her hair framed her face in a wild blonde halo.

"Good morning." Quinn said quietly, a small but unmistakable smile on her lips.

"SEX HAIR." Santana pointed.

"Shh…" Quinn shushed Santana. "She's sleeping."

Quinn walked off to the bathroom without another word.

"Good morning?! Shh?!" Santana yelped. "You walk out here without any any explanation for last night and just say good morning?"

"I think the explanation is that they really really wanted to fuck each other." Dani offered with a smirk, proffering a coffee cup to Santana.

Santana took it, scowling.

When Quinn returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, her hair was slightly less disheveled and her breath smelled minty fresh. She was still smiling. She looked around the kicthen for a minute.

"Do you guys have a kettle? For tea?"

"Quinn." Kurt said.

"Bottom cabinet, there on the left." Dani directed Quinn.

"Thanks."

"QUINN." Santana said, louder.

"Yes?" Quinn said, without turning around, running water into the kettle,

"Quinn! You. Rachel. Sex hair!"

"I think what Santana's trying to say is…" Dani started.

"…ya fucked Rachel Berry last night." Kurt interjected, his eyebrows raised so high they practically disappeared into his hairline.

Quinn blushed and grinned, the slight dimple in her left cheek deepening.

"We had a really special night." Quinn demurred as she set the kettle on a burner.

"Special my ass, Q." Santana said. "She jumped you! What the hell was that?"

"I didn't know she was going to kiss me." Quinn said, turning to get mugs from the cabinet.

"But you wanted her to." Kurt observed, sipping his coffee.

Quinn set the mugs down and took a deep breath. She turned back to her friends. She met Santana's eyes, then Kurt's. "I've been in love with her for so long." She said simply.

"So romantic…" Kurt sighed.

"Puck totally owes me 50 bucks." Santana mumbled into her coffee cup.

Kurt shushed her and turned his attention back to Quinn. "That must have been excruciating," he said. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Quinn shook her head. "I didn't want to lose what we had. I just focused on being a good friend, that was almost enough."

She turned back to the stove to get the kettle. "But I guess…last night. It just turned out to be more mutual than I thought."

"Mutual, shit." Santana snorted, "She fingered you in the middle of our living room"

Quinn rolled her eyes and looked to Dani for help.

Dani shrugged and smiled at Quinn. "She kinda did."

Quinn focused on rifling through the tea bags in the cabinet. "Well, anyway. That's what happened. So."

"So..." Kurt said, "what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to bring her tea. I'm going to tell her I'd like to stick around until after rehearsal today if she wants to get dinner after. And hopefully I'll get to take her out for a great dinner and maybe a walk after and we can grab a bottle of wine and go up on the roof and just talk about anything she wants to talk about until I have to get back to New Haven tomorrow morning. That's…as far I'm thinking today."

"That's so…" Kurt started to say sweet.

"…perfect."

The sound of Rachel's voice made them all turn.

"Sex hair." Santana leaned in and whispered to Dani.

Dani nudged Santana back with her shoulder.

"Hi." Rachel said softly, to Quinn only.

"Hey…I was going to bring you tea in bed."

"I got lonely." Rachel said, walking past Kurt without a glance, straight to Quinn's side.

"Hey," Quinn said again, her voice full of breath and hope.

Rachel took the tea mug from Quinn's hands and set it on the counter. She turned Quinn until they were face to face, and snaked her arms around Quinn's neck, pulling her down for a kiss.

"Not again." Santana groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the nice things about chapter 1. This isn't a direct follow-up chaper 2, but I see it as part of the same 'verse, the same relationship, a few months later. Rachel goes to visit Quinn at school, and they end up talking about Beth and Shelby. I think would be a really interesting thing about Faberry actually happening - how they together, as a couple, decide to address their relationship with Shelby, Beth, and adoption in general. So that kind of turned out to be what this is about. **

* * *

"So…I have a surprise."

Quinn and Rachel were walking down the streets of New Haven, heading back from dinner. It was January and freezing out. Most of the people they passed were bundled up and hurrying against the cold, but every once in a while, someone would wave at Quinn. Quinn would wave back with her free hand. The other one was tucked in her pocket, holding Rachel's.

"You're…cutting class tomorrow so we can stay in bed?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"I wish." Quinn said, snuggling Rachel in a little closer as a particularly hard gust of wind blew at them. Rachel had off from the show Sunday nights and Monday nights. About once every three weeks she'd jump on a train after the Sunday matinee and be in New Haven in time for dinner with Quinn. Quinn had two classes on Monday afternoons, but at least they got two nights and most of the day together. It was enough to last them until the next weekend Quinn could make it to New York.

"Well, anyway, I'm sure it's a good surprise." Rachel smiled. "Tell me."

"I'll just show you," Quinn said, turning them into the courtyard of her college, JE.

They crossed the flagstones to a door set in a vaulted archway. Quinn unlocked it with her keycard and led Rachel inside.

"I know Santana calls it Hogwarts, but it's so romantic here. All the arches and turrets and spires. " Rachel said, sighing as she unwound her scarf and followed Quinn into the foyer.

"Well, I'd hope that the romance has at least something to do with me, not just the architecture." Quinn said, grinning.

"Hmm. Come kiss me under this archway and I'll see if I can sort it out." Rachel said, pulling Quinn back toward her.

They giggled, noses touching. Their mouths met in a sweet kiss that lasted until someone bumped into Quinn from behind.

"Hey, mistletoe time was over last month, lovebirds."

"Sorry…" Quinn turned around to apologize and found herself facing her suitemate, Alyce.

"Sure you are, Fabray." Aly smirked at Quinn. "Isn't your nice new single room enough? Gotta take up all the hallways too?"

"A single? Is that the surprise?" Rachel squeaked.

"Yipes. Sorry I stole your thunder, Fabray." Aly turned to Rachel. "But yes, Rachel. Dina was getting tired of being kicked to the couch every few weekends. So I have, in my grace and magnanimity, agreed to switch rooms with your girl. You guys now have a whole 90 square feet to go to town in."

Rachel grinned and planted a kiss on Quinn's cheek. "You are so sweet." With Rachel still sharing an open plan loft with Kurt, Santana and often Dani too, every opportunity for true privacy was treasured.

"Hey, where's my kiss?" Aly asked. "I'm the one who gave up a single to go bunk with Snores McGee." Dina, who Quinn had been rooming with, was good friends with Aly and Quinn and the others in their suite, but no one could deny her snoring could shake the common room.

Rachel laughed and smacked a kiss on Aly's cheek too. "I do appreciate it Aly. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Aly shrugged and smiled at Rachel. "Nah, don't sweat it. Quinn bought me off with guaranteed free paper editing for the rest of the semester. "

Aly was a brilliant Chem major and a not so brilliant speller.

She backed up a few steps. "I'm braving the cold to grab some snacks. You guys want anything?"

"Nah, we just ate." Quinn said. "Thanks though. We'll see you upstairs."

"Yeah, right." Aly laughed. "I'll see your closed door for the next two nights. Have fun ladies!" Aly put her hood up and hunched against the cold as she pushed through the door.

"You didn't tell me you were switching rooms!" Rachel said, as she and Quinn turned to head up the stairs to the third floor.

"Well, I wasn't sure we'd get approval to switch. There's no real reason…"

Rachel pulled Quinn close again as they reached the landing. "I call this a damn good reason," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

This time no one interrupted. Five minutes later, bags had been dropped on the stairwell landing, coats unzipped, and other articles of clothing were in danger of being shed soon too.

"Rach…" Quinn pulled back, panting.

"Mmpph?" Rachel's face was buried in Quinn's neck.

"Room. Bed."

Rachel nipped at Quinn's collarbone, making her yelp.

"_Door_." Quinn reminded Rachel.

Rachel took a deep breath. "Door. Yes."

Quinn picked up Rachel's bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Fortitude, Rachel." Quinn said, laughing. "You can make it this next 20 feet."

"It's just that you're so pretty right _now_." Rachel pouted.

Quinn melted.

"Come here." She said, dropping the bags again and pulling Rachel back toward her.

* * *

10 minutes later, they finally did make it to Quinn's suite.

"Hey!" Dina was on the couch with her laptop. She greeted the girls with a wave. "Aly went to get snacks, we're gonna watch a movie. Want to…"

"Hi. Thanks. No." Quinn said, being dragged along by Rachel .

Simone snickered. "Have fun." She said to Quinn's closing bedroom door.

* * *

Rachel woke up to the sound of wind wailing. A glance out the window revealed a whirling wall of white. The weather report had predicted some snow, but this was a full on blizzard.

Rachel looked at the clock – 3AM. She crossed her fingers for at least a few more hours of snow. Maybe Quinn's Monday classes would be cancelled.

It briefly crossed Rachel's mind to wonder what she would do if they were seriously snowed in over Monday night too. She had to be back by 2pm Tuesday, she had to go in for some alterations to a few of her costumes. But she let the thought go and lay back down next to Quinn. It was more than 24 hours away anyway. And if necessary, Quinn would help her figure it out.

Rachel listened to the wind howl, and shivered with delight at being tucked up under the down comforter, pressed up against Quinn's warm, naked body. That was one of the best things about this new single room. They didn't have to get up and get dressed after.

But these single beds still kind of stunk. Rachel's arm was falling asleep, pinned between herself and Quinn. She tried to wriggle it into a more comfortable position, but it only tingled harder.

Rachel gave up and sat up, slid out from under the covers. Her arm felt better, but her bare skin prickled into goosebumps at the chill of the room. She grabbed a t-shirt that was on Quinn's desk and pulled it over her head. In the dim light coming in from the window, she could see it was a shirt for Quinn's intramural dodge ball team. Rachel grinned. Quinn loved throwing stuff at people

Picking up the shirt had caused a pile of photos underneath it to slide off of the desk. Rachel scooted to the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping girlfriend, and bent down to pick them up. She could see they were the photos Quinn had kept on her bulletin board in her old room, she must have taken them down for the move. Santana, Brittany and Quinn in Cheerios uniforms. Quinn and her mom in front of their house the day Quinn left for school. Glee club. Yale friends. Rachel blowing kisses at the camera.

And Beth.

Rachel hadn't seen this picture before. It must have been taken fairly recently, Beth looked older than Rachel expected; more like a little girl and less like a baby.

Rachel studied the photo in the dim light. Beth had Quinn's button nose and hazel eyes. But there was some of Puck there too, in the full lips, the hair that was coming in darker as she got older.

"She's three and a half now."

Rachel turned around to find Quinn sitting up in bed. She scooted up to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry baby, did I wake you?"

Quinn shook her head. "The wind…" She reached over and took the picture from Rachel, traced the little girls features with her index finger.

"I usually put it behind my old Cheerios pictures or something." Quinn said. "I don't want everyone asking…"

"I know." Rachel said, placing a soft kiss on Quinn's bare shoulder.

Quinn stared at the picture for a few minutes.

Rachel broke the silence. "Do you want to see her?"

Quinn ran a hand through her tousled hair and avoided Rachel's gaze. "Shelby sends me pictures and stuff. Emails. I send her birthday cards, and a present. I'm three for three, so…"

Quinn forced a laugh, then squirmed around to lay down, rest her head on Rachel's knee. She faced away from Rachel's body, stared out the window at the swirling snow. "I don't know," she said after a while. "I was such a mess last time."

Rachel stroked Quinn's hair back from her forehead.

"I see Shelby sometimes. Not with Beth. But. We've talked about it."

It was an odd parallel situation. Beth and Rachel shared Shelby. But they didn't. Beth and Rachel shared Quinn. But they didn't.

"What'd she say?" Quinn turned over onto her back and finally looked at Rachel.

"She said she's happy. For us." Rachel leaned down and kissed Quinn softly on the mouth. Quinn kept her there. Rachel always felt so good when Quinn felt so bad.

But Rachel pulled away, wanting to finish their talk.

"She said Beth knows who you are. She said you can try again. If you want."

"I'll have to think about it." Quinn said, fixing her eyes on the ceiling, keeping them wide open. But a tear escaped and tracked down her temple anyway.

Rachel brushed it away with the pad of her thumb. "Quinn, I know this is really hard. And you can think about it as long as you need to. And I'll support whatever decision you come to. But can I just say two things?"

Quinn laughed, a real laugh this time. "Like I could stop you."

A few more tears fell, but she was happy.

"It's just…I've been Beth. My dads are amazing, and they are my parents. But I remember being a little girl and wondering who made me. I just wanted to know. And I think that for Beth to know that a beautiful, brilliant person like you made her would be a good thing."

"Noted," Quinn said. "Was that one thing or two?"

"And…" Rachel continued, "The other thing is that Shelby is my mother. And you are my girlfriend. And I hope this arrangement will continue for quite some time. Which means I'd like to have us be able to you know…see each other. All together. Without having to tell Shelby she can't bring Beth."

Rachel paused and took a breath. "But now, saying that, I realize that sounds incredibly selfish and bossy. I…I don't mean…"

Quinn sat up and looked at Rachel, sitting there on her bed in a shirt that said JE Dodgeball. She kissed her.

Rachel sighed, relieved.

"You are bossy. And perfect." Quinn said. "And never selfish. This isn't about you. It's about us. You're right, we can't go the rest of our lives without figuring out how to handle the strange geometries we have with Shelby and Beth. And I admit I happen to be the sticky out point at the moment."

"Cutest point ever." Rachel said, leaning in and giggling against Quinn's neck.

"I promise to think about it. But for right now can we get back to breaking in this single room please? I think there's a chair we left unsullied."

"We can do it in the chair tomorrow. Right now, let me back under the covers and we'll see what we can do in this nice warm bed."

"Soooo bossy." Quinn said, grinning and snuggling Rachel against her, drawing the down comforter up over them both.

"But never selfish." Rachel reminded her with a wicked grin.


End file.
